(27-02-2012 03:20 PM)TalladegaTom Wrote: Sir. No matter how nice a guy KC is or how friendly you like it here, his belief IS dangerous.
He is not willing to change yet every one of us is open to any evidence that is available.
So, keep on talking and he will keep on preaching and religion will continue to thrive, here on a site dubbed "The Thinking Atheist". Argh!
While it is true I am rather unfriendly to theists, it is for good reason.
They ARE the enemy.
Denouncing the silly beliefs of all theists is paramount to moving us forward.
The more we coddle them the more they eat it up.

C'mon, can't ya'll see it? KC is playing this place like a drum.

KC is not the point. If we're to follow your lead then we'll be assholes to anyone who is religious for the mere fact that they're religious. Why? I don't get it. If we're assholes to people because they're religious does that somehow mean that they'll stop believing what they believe? Do we have to have the right mix of condescension and assholery for it to work? Because so far it only seems to perpetuate the stereotype of the condescending atheist. Everyone in the world doesn't need to be Christopher Hitchens, as great as the guy was, for the world to recover from religion. I can guarantee you that it wasn't people like him or you that that had let to my deconversion.

Honestly, I don't care how you respond to people like KC. But don't tell me I have to be like you and respond in the same fashion. Don't tell me I can't talk to religious people about their religion. Just don't do it. If you do, then I won't react kindly to it.

I don't care of KC plays everyone on this site, I really don't care at all. I think that you're wrong when you say that, but even if you're somehow right- I still don't care.

As dangerous as religion is, I don't see it "thriving" here. People reject what he believes. But we still talk about it. And why not? Are we to give religion power by referring to it as "that which must not be named"?

(27-02-2012 04:05 PM)TalladegaTom Wrote: It is full of termites. Burn it to the ground!

We live in it too!

Quote:But we ARE a threat to them. We are a direct threat to their very existence and they know it.

Ultimately yes, we are a threat, but not in the sense of "morally degenerate rapists" that we are portrayed as. If there is dialog, people can see for themselves that the pastors are peddling rhetoric, not facts.

Quote:We have tried reason and discussion for centuries.
It has not worked. Religion has become more dangerous than ever.
Nope, I think it is high time we step it up several notches.
Head on, full force.
Religious beliefs deserve no respect any longer.

Here I disagree. Look at Europe. Religion is dying there - look at Holland, England. Sure it pops up, but those centuries have not been spent in vain. We do not respect religious ideas anyway (at least I don't), but we respect other people's right to hold their own beliefs.

I don't think I've ever told KC that I respect his religious beliefs. If I did, KC, I was wrong...I do NOT respect your beliefs. I think they're a farce and I think you're deluded on that topic. And really, I don't respect your right to hang onto those beliefs. But I respect you. And there is so much more to talk about than religion. In fact, even if I was still a theist, I wouldn't be here to talk about religion. I have plenty of other venues to talk about that topic. I'm not going to shun a person because they believe in God. That's what I did in the opposite direction when I was a theist, but when I became a free-thinker, I also became tolerant...not of the ideas, but of people.

It was just a fucking apple man, we're sorry okay? Please stop the madness
~Izel

(27-02-2012 04:05 PM)TalladegaTom Wrote: We have tried reason and discussion for centuries.
It has not worked. Religion has become more dangerous than ever.
Nope, I think it is high time we step it up several notches.
Head on, full force.
Religious beliefs deserve no respect any longer.

You're just fulfilling scripture, TT. You do know that, right?

Matthew 5:10-12

10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I respect people deserving of respect regardless of their religious beliefs or non-religion. If they behave in a way that tells me that they no longer deserve respect then they do not get that respect from me. Simply being religious is not criteria for not respecting that person and simply being an atheist is not criteria for me respect that person.

10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

You're a nutbag. If that doesn't prove it then I don't know what would.

Love the condescending nature of that eh?
As if I/we really wan't you and your idiotic belief buddies to destroy what it took the universe 4 billion years to make and make us feel like we are just falling for the big plan?